What Can I Say?
by Shadow's Fallen Wing
Summary: What if Willow had visited Oz before the final battle against The First?
1. Hey

What Can I Say?

"_Oz"_

"_Oz"_

"Hmmm….Will…" Oz wasn't sure what was going on, a minute ago he had been having the best dream. He knew it was a dream because it had been years since he had last seen his Willow, but…

"Oz listen…"

He must still be sleeping, it was the only option. Willow was in Sunnydale with that girl and the others. Right?

"Oz, please just listen."

"Will?"

"Good."

"Will, are you here?" Oz rolled over in bed slowly opening his eyes, "Where..." He stopped, there she was. His Willow just as he remembered her, well her hair was different but still.

"Oz, uh hi. I...uh…" Willow paused

"Whoa, Will. Hey, what are you doing here?" Oz sat up and turned fully to face her.

"Right," Willow looked frightened, "Ok…Wow I don't know why this is so hard. I…uh…I came to tell you a couple things."

Oz noticed her eyes glaze just slightly as she looked behind her as if checking something, "Will that is a wall." He was confused and happy all at the same time. He had been dreaming of this for years, since the day he left her.

"Yeah, sorry. I thought I heard Dawn." She noted the crease in his brow, "I'm still in Sunnydale, at Buffy's, in my room. We…there is another big bad here. The biggest and oldest. It has been trying to…Well it wants the slayer dead. Yeah I know who doesn't right? Anyway, all of us, I mean Buffy…God…"

Oz was starting to get worried, Willow has always been like this, but this was almost like the time before graduation when she was thinking about everyone dying. Oh… "You wanted to say, goodbye?" He was about to get up, but she waved her hand in protest and he stayed.

"Listen. I just wanted everything to be clear. I am going to do something tomorrow that will…well…let's just say I don't know if I will see you again, and I wanted to make everything was clear. So you understand." She pause and walk over and sat in front of him on the floor. "When you…" Her breath caught.

"Will… When I left?"

"Yeah…I broke. I know you know that but, I mean really broke. And Terra was just really nice, and a witch like me, and…" A rough sob racked her body before she could stop herself.

"Wait, what? Will..." Again Oz tried started to go to her.

"No," she shook her head, "I'm ok... It was the magic, I loved her, but it was the magic. And when she…was killed…I lost it. I know you used to warn me about getting in over my head…and so did she, but her blood was on me, and I just…" For a second the room seemed to grow darker, and then evened out again. "I know why you left. For you it was Veruca. Your first and only. I mean you had tried before, but that was the wolf and…"

"Will, what are you talking about?"

"I killed…Warren…he shot _her_ and Buffy. I wish that was the worst, but I tried to kill them all." Oz had never heard Willow like this before, "I tried to destroy the world." A tear run down her face.

"But you didn't cause, hey we're here." He gave her a small smile which she returned.

"Yeah…I went away for awhile and realized something. I loved you. And I will always love you. I know you have probably moved on and…"

"I haven't, never. I always hoped you'd come back to me." Oz's heart soared.

She smiled a little, "I wanted you to know. Because we're all not going to come out alive tomorrow…" a laugh escaped her mouth but it wasn't a Willow laugh...

"So you are saying goodbye." Oz didn't know what to say. What could he say, the love of his life came back, to say she was going to die.

"I won't lie. It is a really big possibility. The spell I am going to do tomorrow, if it works, will activate all the potential slayers in the world. I mean, I might live. But, I already told everyone that if the power is too much for me…if I go all evil again…that they have to end it...you know kill me."

"What! No, they can't, they wouldn't!" Oz took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second, trying to calm the wolf.

"They can. And they would have to. Oz if I live…and if you want to…I'd still, if you'd still."

"I'd always still." Always for my Willow.

A/N I am going to have two different epilogues for this story. One with a nice happy ending and one that won't be so happy. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the story, it is my first Buffy fanfic, and keep reading. Also I haven't seen the last episode in years, and I mean like the date it aired years, so I really don't remember if she would even have time to visit Oz. And yes I am leaving out Kennedy, I know this. I just have alway like Will and Oz the most out of all the pairing in the show, though Terra and Will did go well together.


	2. I'd Always Still, And Epilogue I

The Waiting Paid Off, At Last

Oz didn't know what to do when the sun rose the next morning. Willow had said she still loved him! And then she said it was likely she would not survive.

Oz sighed in frustration as he finally got up, he hadn't moved since she left, and went to pack. He didn't know what he would be going back to. Whether it be the love of his life, or her funeral… But he knew he had to go back.

Throwing anything within reach into his bag and then putting on jeans and the cleanest looking t-shirt he left his little one room apartment in Tibet.

The trip to the airport took over an hour, but to Oz it felt like a matter of minutes.

"Where to sir?" the young man working the counter asked.

"Huh? What?"

"Where would you like a ticket too?"

"Oh, right. California. Close to Sunnydale."

The ticket was expensive, and Oz could only afford a one way trip not that he intended to come back either way.

The plane ride was a complete blur. Within 19 hours of talking to Willow for the first time in almost three years, he was back in California. Only 45 minutes away from Sunnydale.

"Breaking news! Some sort of cave in or possibly earth quake seems to have swallowed a small town in southern California…" Oz's attention shot to the TV screen that was on the other side large airport waiting room. People were gathering around it, in awe and shock. "Sunnydale, a town last on the news because on an explosion that eradicated the original high school in mid '99, seems to have completely sunk into the earth. No reports of injuries or mortalities are in yet, though they are likely to start coming in soon." The man on the screen was interrupted for a moment by a young woman who handed him a paper, "I appears that the majority of the town's residence evacuated before the actually cave in."

Oz could feel the blood leave his face, his heart rate increased, he needed to get to Sunnydale (or what was left) now.

He didn't know what to do, or even what he was doing. I was like he was in a trace. Eventually Oz realized he was running in the direction of Sunnydale. Whether it was the wolf within him or his determination to get to Willow he didn't know, but Oz's speed seemed to be increasing with each second.

On the horizon Oz noticed a school bus approaching and slowed down to a stop.

His heart was beating so fast, and ever muscle in his body was yelling at him to leave now and pretend he knew nothing.

_She's dead…she's dead…she's dead…_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Epilogue~1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bus pulled to a stop.

_I know she's gone…oh God…she can't be gone…_

Time seemed to slow as the door to the bus opened.

"Hey…Oz man, a bit late for the party." Xander appeared at the base of the stairs, an eye patch over one eye and the other red and puffy.

_No…no…no…no_

Xander turned around, reaching into the bus, it seemed like he was helping someone out.

_Buffy is coming to tell me she's gone…I can't…I…_

Oz lowered his head and closed his eyes.

"Easy there Will, you are still really weak!"

_Wait! Did…_

"Willow?" Oz's voice cracked

"Hi," She was pale, and leaning heavily on Xander, but she was alive.

Within a second Oz was there, taking her weight from Xander. He brought her close to him, breathing in her scent.

"You're…"

"Alive?" Willow's voice was bright, it sounded like she was smiling. "I can't believe you came."

"'I'd always still' remember?"


	3. Epilogue II

**A/N this is an alternate ending to both this story and the TV show. Enjoy!**

_Oz could feel the blood leave his face, his heart rate increased, he needed to get to Sunnydale (or what was left) now._

_He didn't know what to do, or even what he was doing. I was like he was in a trace. Eventually Oz realized he was running in the direction of Sunnydale. Whether it was the wolf within him or his determination to get to Willow he didn't know, but Oz's speed seemed to be increasing with each second._

_On the horizon Oz noticed a school bus approaching and slowed down to a stop._

_His heart was beating so fast, and ever muscle in his body was yelling at him to leave now and pretend he knew nothing._

_She's dead…she's dead…she's dead…_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Epilogue~2~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bus stopped.

Oz didn't know if he could handle this. He could barely leave the first time, and the second time nearly destroyed him entirely. And now if she is gone…

"Oz…" Buffy's voice caught his attention and he looked up at her. His eyes held hope and fear. Her eyes closed, "She made them all slayers. She was a hero Oz. And I know she…"

But Oz interrupted her. He choked back a cry, swallowed hard then said, "She loved me? Yeah I know!" And with that, Oz's stoic nature crumbled. He fell, but didn't feel his knees hitting the pavement, or Buffy pulling him into a hug. He didn't hear Xander, or Giles, or Dawn… He didn't…

He saw Willow…

Eskimo Willow…

"_Who was THAT girl?"_

Sexy Halloween Willow…

"_Who is that girl?"_

Canapé refusing Willow…

"_Canapé?"_

I took a bullet for her, Willow…

"_Ooh, yeah, please don't. I don't do thanks. I get all red. Have to bail. It's not pretty.__"_

Sweet smile Willow…

"_You have the sweetest smile I've ever seen. So I'm wonderin', do the other cookie animals feel sorta ripped? Like is the hippo goin', "Hey man, where are my pants? I have my hippo dignity." And, you know, the monkey's just, "I mock you with my monkey pants!" And then there's a big coup in the zoo."_

I'd still if you'd still Willow…

"_Well, I like you. You're nice and you're funny. And you don't smoke. Yeah, OK, werewolf. That's not all the time. I mean three days out of the month I'm not much fun to be around either"_

"_You are quite a human."_

"_So I'd still if you'd still."_

"_I'd still. I'd very still."_

"_OK, no biting though."_

Unconscious, concussion Willow…

"_My head…feels big…is it big?"_

"_No, it's head-sized."_

Returning Angel's soul Willow…

"_There's no use arguing with me. Do you see my resolve face? You've seen it before, you know what it means."_

Pez Witch Willow…

_"What's this?"__  
__ "It's a gift."__  
__"What's the occasion?"__  
__ "Pretty much you are."__  
__"It's a little Pez witch!__  
__"It's kind of a theme present. Do you like it?"__  
__"I like. I more than like. Oz, this is probably the sweetest... We have to find a little Pez werewolf, so little Pez witch can have a boyfriend."__  
__"I don't think they make a werewolf Pez. You might have to settle for a wacky cartoon dog."_

Panicking Willow…

"_This is so frustrating."_

"_Nothing useful?"_

"_No, it's great. If we wanna make ferns invisible or communicate with shrimp, I've got the goods right here."_

"_Our lives are different than other people's."_

First day of college Willow…

"_How can you be so calm?"_

"_Long, arduous hours of practice."_

Magic using Willow

"_Where's supportive boyfriend guy?"_

"_Oh, he's picking up your dry-cleaning, but he told me to tell you he's afraid you're gonna get hurt."_

Joan of Arc Willow…

"_I'm Joan of Arc. I figured we had a lot in common, seeing as how I was almost burned at the stake. And plus she had that close relationship with God."_

Willow…Willow…Willow

A/N Ok so this is the alternate ending. Obviously I didn't think up all those sweet Will/Oz quote those were all from the genius Joss Whedon and company. I hope you enjoyed it!


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